Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Book Review: A Scientific Theology: Nature Vol 1

Alister McGrath's Nature, the first volume in his A Scientific Theology trilogy is a brilliant, dense, but readable discussion of the way in which the natural sciences can be critically used as a resource for theology. I have read this book, but I can't do better than to quote the publisher's blurb on this one:

This groundbreaking three-volume work by one of the world's best-known theologians is the most extended and systematic exploration of the relation between theology and science ever undertaken. Drawing on both his firsthand experience of scientific research and his vast knowledge of the Christian tradition, Alister McGrath explores how the natural sciences can be used by the Christian faith.

This first volume sets out a vision for a "scientific theology" in which the working assumptions of the natural sciences are critically appropriated as a theological resource. It then deals at length with the important status of nature, a concept that has rarely been given the serious consideration it deserves. Responding to the view that the term "nature" is merely a social construct, McGrath gives the concept a proper grounding in the Christian doctrine of creation, exploring in the process the use of natural theology in contemporary Christian thought. A Scientific Theology is certain to become one of the most controversial and exciting theological publications of the decade.

A must-read book for those interested in the relationship between science and theology!
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